The Dickinson press., 1887-06-25

THE TOWERS OF SILENCE.
a Visit to the Burial Places of the Pa,
sces-The y%ultures.

a Visit to the Burial Places of the Par
sccs-1he Vulturcs.
~ hundred yards distant through the trees
intervening is one of the gloomy Towers of
Silence, fully in keeping with its gloomy
name. AS visitors are not permitted to APP
proarh nearer than 100 feet, VIC are directed
to II small working model under Il lilac just
Off the garden. Here, with the aid of a ref
c.rncc card, we examine tho internal arrange
IEcntS of the tower.
Ii is u ~rooless, circular building of stone
and painted white, 800 feet in circumference
and about sixty in height; thirty feet from
the base OH the side facing the garden is Il
small entrance, just large enough to admit
the bearers and body. closed by double iron
doors. These doors open III the main plat
form, which is paved with large slabs of ston"
and divided into three row of shallow open
%rcceptaclcs, into which arc placed the naked
~corI,srs to await the coming of the v~ulturuS.
The first, or outer row, is for males (adultl.
the second for females andthe third, or inner,
row for children. These three rows CORES
pond with the three moral prccepts of the
Zoroastiian~ religion-good deeds, good words,
good thoughts. Between the rows arc foot
paths for the bearers to mo"e about. In the
center of the tower is n great well $50 feet in
circumference and forty to fifty feet in depth.
into which the dry bones are thrown after
being denuded of flesh. From this great
well toward the cardinal points of the com
pass divcrgc four underground drains, each
of which has at its terminus, about thirty
feet away, u small well. The bottom of each
of these small wells is covered with n thicl,
layer of sand. Pieces of charcoal and sand
stone are also placed ut the end of each drain.
Thus the rain water coming from the great
well and bringing with it the %deccmposcd
osseous matter passes through two sets of
filters for publication before entering the
ground, thereby Observing a tenet of the 10
roastrim r~eligion-that another earth shall
not be drfilcd.'
y corpse is carried into the tower by two
bearers, called Nassaslars, who alone nre
privileged to enter; the clothes are then re-
moved, the body placed in one of the reccp-
tacles and the bearers withdraw. Now is the
opportunity for tho ~vultures to fulfill the
duties Of their Office. Upon the approach of
the procession hundreds of them arise from
the tops of the palms, which hnve become
withered and dead from contact with tlcil
carniverous bodies, and hover i'll a circle
above until tho bearers nave gone. Their
like darts they desrend-a boiling, seethine
mass of %carrion, each particle of which, intent
only upon precedence, is quaireling and fight
ing with the other i'll its horrible work. Ii
Ill hour or two the corpse is entirely stripped
Of its flesh; the homes nre then left until per
fectly dried by the heat of the tropical sun
then thrown into the well, where, i'll courst
of time, they crmnblc to dust. According t.
the teachings of Zoroa,ter, earth, fire anc
WAFER are sacred, and i'll order to avoid thei
pollution it is strictly cnjoinel that tho deat
bodies shall not be buried in the ground o.
thrown into the sea.-Buftalo News.